A decade ago the Mason’s Arms closed for the last time, ending the life of an Eastby village Inn that had been on the site for at least 400 years.
The current building dates from the later 18th century and replaced a much earlier Inn known as ‘The Jug’. This earlier Inn would have been a long low farmhouse not unlike the surviving 17th century Dale Head Farm next door, and had an attached barn where the yard is now. The original barn was retained after the Inn was re-built, and later replaced with a barn on the far side of the yard, since converted into a house.
The Mason’s Arms, shortly after it closed, with Dale Head Farm beyond.
The earliest recorded owners of the Inn were the Weatherhead’s, an ancient Eastby family. In the late 1600’s Robert Weatherhead, the last of the family to own ‘The Jug’, bequeathed it to his kinsman Thomas Chippindale of Eastby. He became the first of four consecutive Thomas Chippindale’s who were to own ‘The Jug’ (and later ‘The Mason’s Arms’) into the early 19th century. It was the third of these Thomas Chippindale’s (1713-1795) who re-built ‘The Jug’ and changed the name. He also re-built ‘The Heugh’, where he lived, and leased the Mason’s Arms to tenants. When the last Thomas Chippindale died in 1825 he left both The Heugh and the Mason’s Arms to his nephew, Thomas Parker.
The tenants at the beginning of the 19th century were brothers John & William Umpleby who held it until the 1830’s. The lease was subsequently taken over by Ralph Ludlam but according to Thomas Parker’s letters and accounts, Ralph Ludlam was often in arrears with his rent, and the Mason’s Arms had fallen into decline.
When Thomas Parker died at The Heugh in 1848 he left the Mason’s Arms jointly to his three sons, Thomas, William and Peter Parker and they sought to improve the Inn. In 1856 they leased it to Thomas Greenwood, a farmer of Greenside, Embsay, and his wife Elizabeth, who was also the daughter of Thomas Parker junior. They made significant improvements to the Inn so that it attracted not just locals and farmers, bringing their cattle and sheep to the Fortnightly Fairs at Skipton, but also the middle classes who arrived by Horse & Trap, and in Waggonettes from Skipton, Keighley, Bradford and Burnley.
The Mason’s Arms flourished in the second half of 19th century with Gala’s in the summer in ‘The Croft’ below the barn where Embsay Brass Band and Eastby Quadrille Band played, and where Eastby Feast was held in mid-July each year. Apart from the Bar and Taproom there was also a ‘Dancing Room’ where locals would play instruments, sing and dance at all times of the year.
In May 1872 the Eastby Cricket Club rented ‘The Croft’ from Elizabeth Greenwood for 5 shillings a week. In her diaries she records that on Saturday 2nd August 1873 Eastby Cricket Club played and beat Embsay Cricket Club. A return match was played at Embsay on Saturday 16th August when Eastby lost.
One of the Mason’s Arms busiest periods was during the construction of the two Barden Reservoirs, the first starting in the late 1850’s, and the Upper Reservoir between 1876 and 1883. Both brought an influx of not just Navvies but also Engineers and skilled tradesmen.
When Elizabeth (Parker) Greenwood left the Mason’s Arms in 1885, it was taken over by her brother Peter Chippindale Parker and his wife Sarah. Peter died in 1899 and Sarah continued as landlady until her death in 1922 when her eldest daughter Pollie Parker (known as ‘Two Pints Pollie’) took over. Two years later she married her 2nd cousin John Willie Lister of The Intake, Embsay (both were great grandchildren of Thomas Parker of The Heugh) and they ran the Mason’s Arms until 1933 when it was finally sold to Webster’s Brewery of Halifax.
This family photograph shows Sarah Parker, landlady of the Mason’s Arms from 1885 to 1922, with her six children outside the back of the Mason’s Arms in 1912. Her eldest daughter Pollie, sitting on the left, was landlady from 1922 to 1933.
Websters first tenants in late 1933 were Harry & Agnes Storey to 1944 followed by Thomas H Garnett, formerly of the Queen’s Head, Litton. Sidney Edgar Fell took over until he was found drowned in the canal in 1949.
Other tenants have included:
1949-1955 Richard Chapman
1955-1957 Gordon & Kathleen Morley
1957-1958 William Floyd
1958 into the 1960’s Ernest & Kathleen Phelps
1960’s into 1970’s Arnold Spencer
Later 1970’s Frank & Pat Bentley
?? Mike Harwood
Early to mid 1980’s Tony & Jean McGivern
Later 1980’s Roger Hodgson
Up to 1992 – Paul Spencer
1992 to 2001 Chris Booth
2001 to 2008 Phil & Carole Lowther and finally Billy Conroy & Isabelle Crocker who called last orders in 2010.
Thank you for the comments on Facebook that filled in some of the tenants from the 1960’s to 2000. Any further detail on tenants of the Mason’s Arms would be most welcome.
Author: David Turner, Embsay With Eastby Historical Research Group
Email: d.g.turner@talktalk.net
Categories: All, History Posts
